Defeated Cawthorn Resurfaces With Ominous Post Vowing ‘Dark MAGA’ Takeover

Hendersonville, NC - May 17 : Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., watches results from the North Carolina primary election with staff, volunteers, family and friends at his campaign headquarters on Tuesday, May 17, 2022 i... Hendersonville, NC - May 17 : Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., watches results from the North Carolina primary election with staff, volunteers, family and friends at his campaign headquarters on Tuesday, May 17, 2022 in Hendersonville, NC. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images) MORE LESS
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Fresh off of his primary defeat, Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) on Thursday re-emerged with a threatening post on Instagram vowing vengeance with a “Dark MAGA” takeover.

In his post, Cawthorn praised right-wing figures who came to his defense “when it was not politically profitable.” The post includes a photo with a list of names of people he deems to be his allies such as former President Trump and Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL).

Cawthorn wrote that he is “on a mission” aimed at ending “gentile politics.” (That eyebrow-raising turn of phrase was later edited to read “genteel politics.”)

He also name-checked the fringe online movement that calls itself “Dark MAGA.”

“I am on a mission now to expose those who say and promise one thing yet legislate and work towards another, self-profiteering, globalist goal,” Cawthorn wrote. “It’s time for the rise of the new right, it’s time for Dark MAGA to truly take command.”

Cawthorn’s primary challenge defeat on Tuesday night followed a series of controversies during his short-lived congressional career, which included his claims about “sexual perversion that goes on in Washington,” which apparently rattled his GOP colleagues.

The so-called “Dark MAGA” movement calls for Trump to return to power in order to exact revenge on his enemies. It began as a campaign posting threatening Terminator-style memes on social media, but has now gained popularity among some of Trump’s prominent supporters such as Greene, as Insider explained last week. Earlier this month, Greene tweeted a meme in line with the “Dark MAGA” aesthetic, which often depicts Trump in black and red-tinted images with laser beams coming out of his eyes.

Despite lacking an explicit endorsement from Trump, the “Dark MAGA” movement continues to gain more traction among prominent right-wingers such as Jack Posobiec and Amanda Milieus.

Experts who spoke with Insider warn that “Dark MAGA,” with its aesthetic promoting nationalist and neo-Nazi imagery, could be the far-right’s latest efforts to push extremism online through the use of memes.

John Light contributed to this report.

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Notable Replies

  1. What exactly are “gentile politics?” Pretty sure he meant “genteel,” but with people who throw terms like “globalist” around, you never really know…

  2. “I am on a mission now to expose those who say and promise one thing yet legislate and work towards another, self-profiteering, globalist goal,” Cawthorn wrote. “It’s time for the rise of the new right, it’s time for Dark MAGA to truly take command.”

    And while we’re on the subject of exposure,

  3. The Goy Old Party?

  4. I think Madison Cawthorn snorted too much cocaine at one of those GOP parties he was talking about.

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